


Black Magic Woman

by krueger84



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen, Post-Season/Series 02 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-03-17 07:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3520952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krueger84/pseuds/krueger84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starting after Innocence, this story veers toward an AU where Buffy has extended adventures in LA, meeting new (OC) scoobies and villains, and also the result it has on Sunnydale in her absence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Apocalypse

A/N – This is my first side-story from my primary fan-fic project, entitled "The Mouth Of Hell Has Two Forks." In this story, I am attempting to explain the reasoning behind having three slayers in my main story. However, I found a story there, one screaming to be told.

This story takes place in the second season, starting from Innocence. I apologise if I've fumbled any of the quotes, my internet being down while I was writing this didn't help matters at all.

Black Magic Woman

Prologue

Angelus POV (APOV)

The best thing about losing your soul is gaining that little bit of perspective. Fuck I was weak. I had tortured myself day in and day out, my conscience getting the better of me over and over again.

My true self was trapped inside, yearning for a way to come back. It drove me insane sharing a mind with that soul, seeing the good in it. I had worked hard, replacing that good with prejudice, bias, and the true killer, love. That was the key, love makes these people do realllly fucked up shit. It turned a slayer into a leech-logger for one. 

Coming back into this world was a real eye-opener. The good in mans heart is still lost over the evil that lurks beneath, yet the world is still a good place, there is beauty in nature, beauty I can't behold in the daylight, thanks to man, thanks to my body's weaknesses before I was Angelus the first time. If I wasn't weak and depressed, and caught up in Earthly desires, I could have lived out a good life and died with honour. I would have never been exposed to this.

Maybe this was the perspective I gained, maybe this world shouldn't be allowed to go on, my prejudices remained, but there was still someone who could punish, someone who could eradicate all the evil from this world, someone who could judge…..

Chapter 1: My Apocalypse

Buffy POV (BPOV)

The scene was dismal.

Suspended above the ground, I regained consciousness. After mere seconds of disorientation, Angelus's slick voice brought me back to speed.

"She awakens, finally. We thought we'd have to do it while you were asleep. This makes it a lot more amusing, you know."

I scanned the scene around me, searching for a blade or well, anything to grab. Instead I saw ash, small mountains of ash covering the linoleum floors of the mall. Angelus and Dru made short work of the innocents that the Judge didn't get to fry, their bodies stacked against the closest exit, making it near impossible to get in, or out.

"It's quite a mess, isn't it? Our boy here made most of the magic happen, but, well, I felt lazy, and we needed a barricade.

At this point, Kendra woke beside me.

"Where am I? Buffy, oh dear, what's going on? Why is the floor so grey and lifeless." She looked towards the door, then at the Judge and groaned. "Ohhhh no, we need to get out of here. They will kill us both!"

I turned to her and muttered under my breath "They will do no such thing, please compose yourself and help me find something to help cut us loose."

Angel continued, "You know Buffy, I've been thinking a lot since the night we made love. You really had me for a while there, I came all the way to this stinkin' town, just in the hopes that I could help you, save your life. Then I fall in love with you, fiiiinally sleep with you, and now all I want is to end your life, and the lives of those around you as painfully and slowly as possible. So without further ado….. Smurf? C'mon, do your thing!"

I put on a brave face as the Judge turned towards me.

"No, not her you great lug, the other one, I want her to watch."

Before I could object, I turned to Kendra and watched as she wittled to flames, her scream permanently etched in my brain.

"Alright, that should do it, let's get out of here." Angel remarked coldly.

"Your soddin' kiddin' me right, this is bollocks!" Spike yelled, wheeling himself over to Angelus. "We have her strung at the fuckin' ankles, and your giving her a free."

"Listen, wheels, we can go or you can stay, and I'll torch the joint as I leave."

"Fine, well if you're gonna be like that."

Just as they went to leave by the exit that wasn't blocked by corpses, they heard a screeching sound. They turned slowly to hear what the commotion was, and a heavily armoured military jeep crashed its way through the doors and the dead.

Willow and Xander jumped out, preparing the rocket launcher. Giles alighted from the jeep swinging a flaming torch towards Angelus and Dru, and retreating over to me, where he proceeded to cut at the ropes suspending me from the action. The Judge watched in feigned boredom as Xander and Willow handed me the rocket launcher.

"No weapon forged can harm me, little girl."

"Welcome to the 20th Century."

He looked on in curiosity as the rocket was fired out of its launcher. Angelus, Dru and Spike hurried out as the rocket met its mark and disassembled him violently.

I turned back to the site where Kendra had met her untimely fate. A smile pile of ash had collected just beneath the rope that had bound her while the Judge had absconded her purity and incinerated her in a mystical blaze.

I could still hear her scream, piercing my ears, the image scorching my retinas. I decided then that I could never befriend another slayer, another whose fate was so intertwined with mine. I closed my heart that night, to Angel and Kendra whom I had lost so selfishly, and to the rest of my friends, before I could hurt them and myself further.

A/N – I opted for a short first chapter to set the tone, however I like the length of this chapter and may very well keep to it for the rest of the story.


	2. Not So Becoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight recapping and introducing slightly AU buffyverse

Chapter 2: Not So Becoming

Buffy was in for a long trip, deciding to travel by bus to LA. Her seat was unforgivingly uncomfortable, forcing her to stay awake when she desperately needed rest. Two hours into the trip, matter conquered mind and she feel into a restless, exhausted slumber.

Her dreams were plagued with the events that had unfolded over the last couple of months. Kendra being incinerated by the Judge. Angelus wreaking havoc and killing Jenny Calendar, which in turn tortured her watchers mind, and eventually, his body also. During one of her final bouts with Angelus, several of his cronies had invaded the library and Drusilla had mortally wounded Faith. Thankfully, Willow was able to revive her and whilst Faith endured her obligatory respite in Sunnydale General, Willow had taken the much needed time to perform the restoration of Angelus' soul.

Whilst this was taking place, Angelus' attempts to extract the required information from Giles had failed dismally. As he was about to resort to carnage to get what he wanted, or at least, a little satisfaction, Spike stepped in and used Drusilla's powers to their advantage, uncovering the fatal flaw in Angelus' rendition of the ritual. Xander helped Buffy, as did Spike, and as Xander snuck Giles out of the mansion; Spike asphyxiated Dru, securing her and taking her back to the factory which was now, thankfully, Scooby surveillance free. Unfortunately, as Buffy engaged in her final fight with her ill-fated love, Angelus retrieved the sword from the once-dormant statue of Acathla bringing on certain Armageddon.

Buffy and Angelus fought tooth and nail until it seemed that Buffy finally had the upper hand on her master. At this point, Willow's spell was successful and the lights behind Angel's eyes were brightened once more, restoring his soul. With no options left, Buffy took it on herself to save the world and plunged the scared sword through Angel, the tip touching the dimensional walls of Acathla, urging Acathla to take Angel in, to what would be a perfect Hell.

Certain parts of the story flashed through Buffy's mind, all out of order, and making no sense. She was forced awake by this, forced to go back and remember this in the right order. It was so important that she keep these memories, as they were the reason she was leaving. That and being expelled of course… and most probably still having a warrant out for her arrest.

The bumbling force that were Sunnydale's finest honestly believed that Buffy had sliced Faith's throat, leaving her to her death, when she had only just taken in the gruesome scene, painfully worried for her friends. She was essentially a fugitive now, fleeing to as city big enough to hide her, and hopefully take any unwanted nasties with her, leaving her friends and family safe from various big bads.

She had enough cash to rent out a place for a couple of weeks easy, but would need to find one first, one that had a non-too-interested landlord who kept his mind on his money. She'd also need a job before long. While she was waiting for her coach, she grabbed a copy of the LA Times, looking for cash in hand work, possibly in a diner or as a model. She always wanted to try out modeling. She circled the best positions available. Alas, no modeling was available. None that didn't involve gratuitous nudity anyway.

She'd gotten a lead she wanted to try once she'd settled in to an apartment when she got in, and as she finished circling it, she felt the hydraulics of the bus kicking in, knowing that it was coming to its final stop, and the start of her new life.

The place was alright, it was basically a shoebox, but it was a practical shoebox, and came with a non-stained mostly constructed bed and set of dressers. There were also no holes in the walls, something Faith had warned her about when it came to travelling. She called the diner about the ad she had seen, and was invited in for a trial shift, after successfully completing the "phone interview".

Her trail shift was a success and her now shy demeanor worked in her favour, as she heard a lot more than she used to when she frequented her local hangout in Sunnydale. By the end of her first shift, she had overheard a non-descript demon in a trenchcoat brag about his latest trophy, a young witch called Hylus. He seemed to feed on magical power and use it to power his own life-force, consuming the bodies of his victims. He was meeting some colleagues under the 9th Street bridge at 9:30, to discuss strategies about a coven he had caught wind of in the east.

Buffy was asked if she wanted to work a double on her first day, just before her shift had finished. She accepted happily, knowing full well she would finish at 9pm.

After her shift had ended, she hastily made her way back to her department, quickly changing into some recon gear and high-tailing it over to 9th Street. She lurked around the bridge, trying to find their meeting place. She soon saw several young men loitering by a sports car, and realized that they were not who she was after, as she could hear them discussing their latest conquests, which included 5 high school girls and an off-duty street worker. They seemed to fit the bill of college freshmen. She figured they may not be the demons themselves, but they sure as hell were good bait.

Unsurprised, she saw the small pack of demons in trenches amble over to the freshmen less than 5 minutes later, getting a perfect view of them from her vantage point. She wasted no time interrupting the little rendezvous, the distance between her and the group shortening to nothing in less than five steps.

The demons seemed surprised to see the small girl approaching them with a blade. However the college boys' reaction took her off-guard altogether.

"I knew I could smell human." One of them spat out. "What are you playing at, Tzirkos?"

"I didn't bring her, she must've followed us." The one called Tzirkos rashly replied. "Linpuy made sure we weren't being followed, he's been working onto an anti-tracking hex all day." He continued, pushing one of his comradres forward, towards the freshmen.

"She's no tracker, you fools! I could smell a witch a mile away, this one's power is much more subtle, but 10 times as potent in force." The demons stared at the freshmen leader, dumbfounded.

"Do I have to spell it out to you, you friggin dimwits?" He turned to Buffy then, flashing an iridescent smile. "Excuse me darling, do you perchance happen to be carrying a short piece of wood?"

Buffy glared at his perceptive face, retracting a thick stake from her back pocket." You mean of these?"

"Thanks, sweetie." He turned back to the cloaks. "This is a slayer, a generational wonder, packed full of punch, attitude and in this case, exceptional clothing ensembles. I like that jacket." He said confidently in Buffy's direction.

"Um, can I get to the part where I kill you guys. I know people, and demons I guess, in LA love the sound of their own voice, but this is pathetic."

They took this as a cue to circle around her; the demons removing their cloaks, the freshmen revealing their true faces.

"I don't tink so." Said an all-too familiar voice "Not wit-out me."

The demons and vampires alike parted aside from each other, creating a path directly to Buffy, not less than two people wide. At the entrance of this aisle stood a small, dark girl, whose vampiric features were highlighted by the moons glow. Despite the demonic mask, Buffy knew exactly who was under it, and she froze in terror and guilt as Kendra slowly progressed passed her brethren.

A/N – Ominous chords! I'm sorry about the one page season 2 recap, but it seemed essential, especially if, unlike me, you haven't recently watched season two and/or know it inside out anyway. Buffy finding a job and a place should've been a bit of a task, but then I figured its LA and money talks, as does intimidation, both of which were with the slayer today. Vamp Kendra is a marvel in my opinion. Her original character was painfully neglected in S2, and I've been dying for a way to bring her back into the spotlight. She deserved more than three ep's!


	3. Xantie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confusion sets in as Buffy faces a ghost from her past

Chapter 3 – Xantie

I dreamt of him, even though I was with him that night. My dreams were cut short though, as a niggling kind of spider-sense instinctively urged me to dodge. I woke to see an axe where my head would have been 2 seconds earlier. I look up and see her, standing over me. Her sheer determination showed in her eyes, and I knew why she was here.

We fought briefly, but passionately, her technique was flawless, calculated yet versatile, like that of a young warrior. Before my fears could be confirmed, she had me beat, and as she closed in on me she revealed that she too was a vampire slayer. Her name was…

"Kendra?" I choked out.

"Es-cuse me, miss, but I tink you have me confused wit another. My name is Xantie, and I am a vampire."

"I don't understand… the Judge… he incinerated you…I couldn't…I couldn't save you." I muttered, more to myself than her, backing away slowly.

"I have been a plague in dis city for t-ree years. I was told de Judge had bin reassembled less dan a year ago. I cannot be dis Kendra you speak of." She had stopped, tilting her head slightly to the left."Ow-ever, when I kill you, you can scream whatever name you like."

At that, she leapt towards me. I braced myself for impact, and turned as she connected, grabbing her by her shoulders and flipping her over my back. She hit the ground at speed, the force causing her to bounce slightly. As she got up I delivered a kick to her stomach, followed by a backhand across the jaw. I went for another across her face, or at least, the face that she was wearing, but she saw it coming this time, and grabbed my closed fist, twisting it sharply and sending me to my knees. She spun around, delivering a roundhouse kick to my temple. She went for the sweep with her other leg, but I caught it, and flipped her into the air. As she sailed upwards, I grabbed her ankle and slammed her onto the ground again. I straddled her and delivered a flurry of punches, daring her to try and block my melee. She couldn't however, my destruct-lust wearing, and urging me to finish her off. I slipped the stake from my coat sleeve and drove it deep into her heart, her form beneath me turning to dust. After a not so soft landing, I turned to see that the vampires had left their leader to die.

The demons however had started to discuss the turn of events they had just witnessed, one urging another towards me.

The one they had called Tzirkos earlier approached me cautiously. "We mean youno harm, we're only after the witches you see." The others nodded emphatically in unison. Tzirkos began pacing before me.

"The witches here are evil beasts, and have hunted our clan for generations. We have used our own magicks to enhance our image, our strength and our endurance in battle. We're turning the tides, you see. Claiming our birthright, we even hired vampires, who now seem to be more cowardly than we are ourselves. They were effective though, acting as a prelude for our revolution. We planned our attacks, thinning their ranks one by one. The counter strike was harsh, we lost a lot of good men, or well, demons. But they suffered severe losses themselves, and now, if we had the right ally…", at this, Tzirkos stopped pacing, and gazed at me suggestively.

"You want me to fight your war…? Are you serious? You know that you're demons right? And that I'm a slayer! Kinda opposite sides of the coin, there." I responded. They seemed disheartened. Tzirkos especially. Seconds later, he turned and said. "Well, I understand. We wouldn't dare fight human wars, we shouldn't expect a warrior like yourself to submit to our trivial endeavours. We are grateful for your help, taking out Xantie and her crew. We, uh, weren't actually able to pay them, so that kinda worked out. Well farewell, for now." He growled ominously, before letting out a low-pitched cackle, and vanishing from sight. The two remaining demons and I exchanged awkward glances, before they vanished in turn, the last one waving before he left.

I shook my head and set out for home, heading away from the bridge.

A set of glowing eyes peered out of a midnight shroud, following her from the bridge, the lights turned green and she crossed the busy city road, heading up towards her apartment. The cloaked figure watched patiently until she was out of sight, before musing to herself. "Interesting."


	4. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blast from the past as a slayer returns to the fold.

Chapter 4 –Release

The room was thick with conflicting scents. Sandalwood incense burned strongly in all four corners of the room, but it seemed slightly overpowered by the metallic smell of blood smeared in a pentagram shape on the floor. To the magically inclined, the room reeked of power more than anything else. This could have been due to the sacrificed deer remains in the center of the pentagram. The energy from such a display can boost magical power exponentially, and in this case, was essential for the spell to succeed.

The coven of five each took their position at the points of the star. The only illumination in the room was provided by five single candles, each being held by a member of the coven. Four of them began to chant in a meditative fashion whilst the fifth began to chant her commands.

"Osiris, keeper of the gate, master of all fate, hear us."

She anointed herself with the mixture of sacrificial blood and other ingredients required for their quest, then, poured some on the ground before her, in the shape of a sacred symbol.

"Before time and after, before knowing and nothing, accept our offering, know our prayer."

The sacred robe that she had adorned for this occasion was secretly being sliced by invisible knives, as was her flesh underneath, much to the horror of her sisters.

"Osiris! Here lies the warrior of the people! Let her cross over!" The witch cried.

"IT'S THE SCARAB FLAMES!" One sister shrieked.

"It must be working." Another muttered.

"Hold your place, all of you." An older voice commanded.

Living bumps were travelling under the skin of the chanting witch. They travelled up her arms, around her throat, up to her temples, making her face bulge into monstrous shapes.

"Osiris! Let our warrior cross over!" She cried, somewhat fainter this time.

The living bumps travelled back to her throat, joining into one longer lump, twisting around the witch's throat from underneath her taut skin. She attempted her plea one final time, only to have the head of a snake come out of her mouth, rather than the spell she desperately clung to.

With one final banshee scream, she completed her incantation. "Osiris, release her!"

The hot water from the shower soothed Buffy's bruised skin and sore muscles, especially her ribs. She was certain she had cracked at least one during her bout with Xantie.

The pain itself was soothing, but brought back memories of different pain, pain she had vowed to rid herself of after the loss of Kendra. With Faith, she felt no pain. Faith was brash, independent, self sufficient. Everything Faith represented, was what Buffy needed. After seeing and fighting Xantie she felt she had regressed to a state of helplessness again. She had an epiphany then, and abruptly finished her shower, kitting herself up and slamming the door behind her.

"I was sure she'd help. Slayers are really good with war. I mean, they wage their own on demonkind and general nastiness. Surely she would've seen we spoke of truth, we are a peaceful people after all. I guess we'll just have to make do, I hoped we could finish this battle in our generation. This should have been our fight, not our children's." Tzirkos lamented to his right-hand man. They had just finished another round of macchiatos.

"On top of all that boss, we're gonna be up all night now." Linpuy remarked. "I agree though, having a slayer on our team would be cool. Especially her. You think she was cute too? I, uh, I guess not."

"Hmm, Lin, was it the wooden stake in her paw that was getting you hot, or the vacant stare that you like so much?" He smirked, then sighed with understanding. "I can see why she wouldn't help us, I guess. She has her own demons to deal with, worse than ours. I thought she was living in Sunnydale, something bad must've gone down." Tzirkos thought this last sentence aloud, and stared in curious disbelief as Buffy pushed open the diner doors, her eyes firmly fixed on him as she approached at speed.

In Sunnydale, everyone was enjoying the Labor Day festivities. Even Xander, Willow and Giles took time out from their increasingly busy schedule to spend some time with explosives of the fun kind, scoffing at passers by who insisted that they were too late for the 4th of July.

"Hey, this is our first night off in how long, Giles? We missed the 4th of July. Hence we must display our patriotism on this subsequently later date, besides I'm sick of waiting for….other people to join in on our festive party vibe. Hey Will, can you make some more mojo fireworks?" Xander pleaded after noticing his near-slip up.

"Xander, the mojo-works are a bust." Willow frowned. "Besides, this is no fun. I miss Buffy."

Xander twitched nervously at the mention of her name. He had a million witty retorts in mind, but knew that they weren't appropriate. Besides, he felt he missed her the most, anyway.

"I, for one" he started, with a single finger raised for emphasis, before solemnly backing off, "think we should patrol. There's gotta be evil around, we could at least take out some vamps?" He offered.

"Fair call," Oz exclaimed. "There's gotta be some wickedness. Labor Day is renowned for it." He concluded.

Giles released a half-smile, glad to be free of this pointless exercise. "Very well, we shall regroup at the cemetery after I retrieve some supplies."

Xander was the last to arrive, as he took on the role of snacksmen yet again, faced with the daunting decision of Butterfingers or Twinkies. Faith felt obliged to come initially, and give moral support, but she needed to recuperate, her left leg had been broken by a nasty kind of demon during a patrol earlier that week.

Things seemed quiet most of the night, they didn't actually get to kill any vamps, but they scared a newbie off by staking him in the stomach and chasing him with holy water. As they finished a final circuit of the grounds, they came across a comical sight. It seemed to appear that a vampire was having his ass handed to him by thin air. He tried to put up a fight but had no idea where to aim and was being pummeled mercilessly by a phantom ally.

As the gang closed in on the scene, the vampire looked at them, and whilst distracted instantly turned to dust. The person responsible walked through the dust, leaving it on as a sort of coat, so that they could see a basic outline of their ally.

"I tink slaying is betta this wey. The element of surprise will neva be lost on dem."

Giles was the first to clue in as to what was going on. "Kendra? Is it… is it you?"

The glistening figure approached him slowly, her head bowed in shame and regret. "Yes, it is me. I don't know how or why, but I've been brought back, and I've been idden. When I woke I could see no-one, but I heard at least 3 or 4 people talking at once, almost over each other. They spoke of orders, plans, and messages from the L.A. coven. They only addressed me once, to tell me it was not my time to be seen, and no lesser witch should try to reveal me before it was time."

At this, Willow balked. "No lesser witch, I guess they weren't talking about me. She raised her right hand towards the ash-soaked figure, chanted a phrase in Latin before commanding, "reveal."

Willow was thrown through the air, forcefully connecting with a nearby headstone. Oz rushed over to check that she was OK.

"No lesser witch, huh?" Xander commented. "We need Buffy," he finally confessed.

"We need you," Tzirkos began, "now I'm usually above begging, but this is dire." The lumbering demon awkwardly got on both knees in front of his beta, and started to growl syllables in what Buffy assumed was his native tongue. She stared, wide eyed at the display, and lifted him off his knees by the ear, forcing him back into his sunken seat.

"I didn't even say anything, I just walked up to you and you started babbling. Of course I'll help. Us slayers need the needy. It would at least make my time here worthwhile." She trailed off distantly.

Linpuy jumped up, an exultant grin stretching across his face. "This is marvelous Tzirkos, this is exactly what we need, and in our final hours too." He reached for Buffy's hand, lips puckered.

"Oh, no no no, they don't touch this." Buffy replied in a mock repulsed tone, pointing at his lips and drawing an imaginary line to her withdrawn hand.

"Then we will praise you for the world to hear." Tzirkos proclaimed, before dropping to his knees again and singing in his native tongue. His voice boomed in the diner, and Buffy was sure that the people watching were purely amused and no longer horrified.

"Are you sure it's not a bad thing that they want you dead?" She finished, before Tzirkos got back up to his feet and slung an arm over the slayer's shoulder; Linpuy doing the same, escorting Buffy out of the diner and onto the now deserted streets.


	5. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puzzles, my favourite thing to write.

Long overdue disclaimer – I own nothing, all Whedon my friends.

Chapter 5 –Weakness

Tzirkos, Linpuy and Buffy alighted from the diner onto the cold streets of the north side of L.A. Tzirkos directed Buffy towards a large Kombi van. When she reached it however, he shook his head in a dumbfounded manner and led her to the Volkswagen Beetle sitting directly behind the van. Buffy giggled slightly as they proceeded to attempt entering the vehicle. They lacked a certain amount of grace but eventually succeeded in their efforts. Linpuy left his door open and pulled the seat back, so Buffy could ride shotgun.

Linpuy, having never communicated openly with a human, was revelling in this opportunity to see a human's perspective on serious current affairs.

"No way pistachio is better than chocolate chip cookie dough. You really are a monster if you think that, Lin."

"I don't care if he was 25 when 90210 started, I still thought he was the hotness. His career definitely went downhill after that."

"There is noooo way I'm telling you what happened in Sunnydale, it just felt like the right time to take a break, y'know. With Faith around, I know it's in good hands until I return. You know Lin, talking to you has probably been the highlight of my stay here." With that, she gave him a small peck on his scaly forehead. Linpuy blushed at this, subsequently turning his face and most of his upper body a bright red in turn.

On the outskirts of town, they came across a low-profile bar with a non-descript below street entrance.

"I figured you guys weren't the coffee type, were you just drinking coffee at the diner to get my attention or…"

"Actually, we like the coffee there. It's not real "diner" style coffee. I like the fact that there's a barista on duty." Tzirkos replied. "Besides, we're not allowed to drink alcohol."

"Cheap drunks or….angry drunks?" She said, navigating her way down the frost-coated stairs.

"Non-drunks. A mere drop of alcohol can put us in a coma. More than that, and we'll simply drop dead. The witches found out about this, which is why their lair is hidden inside the bar," said Tzirkos, glaring at the closed door in front of him.

"Ahhh, really cheap drunks then. I guess my coffee was the only safe coffee in town for you guys. Even if it wasn't, you'd just drop face first on the table. And then I'd have to investigate and find the coven that way. You really covered all of your bases there, Tzirk. Shall we?" Buffy retorted, reaching for the handle.

"Indeed, after you, slayer." Tzirkos grimaced, thinking of the fight that was about to ensue.

Sunnydale:

Giles took it upon himself to house Kendra while she was invisible. That way, none of the other Scoobies would have to convince their parents that their imaginary friends had finally returned from their childhood farewells.

The only problem with this was that both Giles and Kendra were extremely self conscious. They spent most of the night letting each other know where they were, despite how foolish Giles felt after returning his co-ordinates – she could SEE him. Giles was thoroughly uncomfortable all night. Once in his pyjamas, he stayed in his room. No matter how desperate he was for a good cup of tea, he couldn't risk bumping into Kendra with the tea, or at all, as she would completely die of embarrassment and shame, and also burns, if the damage from Giles' tea was too severe.

Meanwhile, Faith's leg was all healed up, and she felt fit enough to patrol again that night. She felt better earlier, when the Scoobies asked for her help, but she preferred to patrol alone anyway. Too many people around meant one thing to her – responsibility.

She was checking random mausoleums at first, and found a small nest that looked too easy to defeat. It only housed 20 vamps, mostly newborns that had just been sired. She finished off the last one, who looked old enough to be the main sire, when she heard a small girl crying outside the solemn tomb.

Faith made her way cautiously outside, checking briefly for any signs of a trap and then rushed to the girls side to see if she was OK.

"I'm fine, sweetie," the little girl cackled in a shriller, older, and more sinister voice than she had just heard.

Dumbfounded, Faith took no more than a second to assess the situation. Evil little girl, old lady cackle voice, no backup…now major dilemma…. do I throw her or kick her? Before Faith could do either, the girl touched Faith's temple, rendering Faith unconscious. The girl then grew to over twice her height, revealing herself as a witch. She threw Faith over her shoulder and closed her eyes, vanishing less than a second later.

LA:

As Buffy entered, she realized this bar wasn't what it seemed. The patrons all seemed to be wearing the same kind of get-up, and it was actually quite trendy, if you were going out on the town 30 years ago. Most of the men had thick handlebar moustaches, and seemed to be talking to beautiful girls in sweaters and pleated skirts, ideal for swing dancing. The men who had clean shaven faces were spending time with the wallflowers, staring straight ahead and trying to avoid conversation with them at all costs.

Buffy took a slow step in and watched as all the people shimmered when her foot met the ground again. Curious, she thought. She stamped her foot on the spot, and watched as everyone in the bar shimmered, appearing once more half a second later. In the distance something was shooting sparks for a second. Hmmm…

"Hey guys, on three, we all jump on the spot. Got it?"

"Got it boss." They both replied.

"One, two, th…"

Just then, a sharp blade swung in a pendulum like arc, less than an inch from Buffy's face. She watched as it passed through the closest patrons head, not disturbing him or his conversation in the slightest.

"I guess conversation activates the booby traps here." Buffy murmured. "Where's the entrance to the lair? Lin?"

"In the bar. Or, at least where you can see the bar, when it flickers on. There should be a console there. The first switch opens the door. The door is located on the other side of the room, on that platform where the sparks spat out before."

For Buffy, it was a simple matter of timing to navigate the treacherous field ahead. Several back flips, cartwheels and rolls later, she had managed to get to the bar area.

"Phew, and I miss being a cheerleader."She lamented to herself.

Buffy found the console after scoping the holographic distortion in front of her, eventually seeing two basins with switches in them. Both basins were full with what looked like water but smelled like an acidic mix of methylated spirits and liquid fertilizers.

"What does the second switch do, Tzirk?" She called over to the nervous demons waiting by the entrance.

"It's a decoy switch, a trap that will cut your arm off at the wrist. Now, Buffy, you have to take care here, the last brother we lost discovered something when trying to infiltrate the lair. He found that the switch that is guarded by alcohol is the correct switch, this burns and deforms our skin and as such, rendered him useless the second he attempted it. The trap switch is submerged in a basin of hydrochloric acid. This was a Freudian defensive maneuver they created to keep humans out. They figured that if a switch is guarded by alcohol that doesn't burn human skin, any unwanted visitors would assume that it's the trap switch. As such they would plunge their hand into the hydrochloric acid-filled basin and subsequently go into shock from the pain and loss of blood from their severed hand. God only knows what the witches do with the bodies of the damned." Linpuy shuddered at this.

"OK, what if they switched the traps, Tzirk? What if they know I'm your ally now?" Buffy hollered.

Linpuy replied, "Buffy, there is a hidden switch under the table, press it now!"

Buffy did as instructed and watched as the swinging blades slowed to a halt. Linpuy then crossed the breach and met with Buffy.

"This goes against every cell of my survivalist nature, Buffy, but I will test the basins myself, to see that you come to no harm." Linpuy said, staring deep into Buffy's eyes.

Before Buffy could protest, Lin plunged his hand into the first basin. The liquid inside stayed calm as his finger approached the button.

A/N – OK, now I hate cliffhangers as much as the next person, but I can't bring myself to decide Lin's fate right now. Anyways, I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens. Reviewing helps too, I hope you guys are warming to my demons, let me know your feelings on the story. Thanks for reading!


	6. It Started With a Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad Buffy trusts noone

Chapter 6 – It Started With A Boom

Just as Linpuy was about to make contact with the switch, Buffy pulled his arm out of the basin at the elbow.

"Do you not have a sense of self-preservation, Lin? A trick like this requires strategy." She explained, letting his arm go slowly.

Buffy pulled a stake from her coat and dunked it into the second basin. Knowing this would merely have alcohol in it, she measured the distance to the bottom, just next to the switch. In doing so, she realised that it would need to be held below the water's surface, still risking loss of limb.

Buffy and Linpuy examined the console, searching for something removable to extend the stake. A cabinet below the sinks revealed a pocket knife. Linpuy retrieved it and showed Buffy with a very self-satisfied grin on his features.

"I suppose you want a gold star? You'll have to wait till we defeat some witches." Buffy quipped. Linpuy flashed a flirtatious pout.

Buffy jammed the blade from the knife into the shaft of the stake extending it to a length that was reasonably comfortable to grip above the basins surface. Linpuy gestured to Buffy, who then gave him the stake-knife, and plunged it in the first basin, hitting the switch at speed.

The plate that severed the surface hit the center of the drawn blade, lodging it from both the stake and knife casing. The blade sliced through the air and met Buffy's upper-arm. She groaned in pain and ripped it out of her flesh, throwing it on the floor. Buffy turned to Linpuy who had gone decidedly green from the sight of Buffy's arm, which was still bleeding profusely. Fighting his urge to vomit, he ripped part of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around Buffy's arm.

"Are…are you OK?" Linpuy managed before the sick scent of bile invaded his throat. He turned then and heaved violently. He returned to her, looking slightly better, and examined the second basin now.

"This one must be safe. Buffy, perhaps you should…"

"I know, perhaps I should press the button. The alcohol will sterilize the wound and the door will be unlocked, right?"

"Right," Linpuy replied, half-heartedly.

Tzirkos joined them then. "I'll attend to the door, to ensure it stays unlocked."

He rushed over to the lair's entrance, trying not to show how shaken he was by the sight of Buffy's bleeding bandage.

Buffy hesitated, unsure if she was being led to a trap or helping out a peaceful demon clan. It had seemed more likely earlier, but now Linpuy had offered to sever his arm for the cause and had been very close to success in this case before Buffy had saved him. The thought that this was all a ruse to trap her in a demons lair left her somewhat unsettled. Despite these feelings, Lin's squeamish reaction to her wound had heartened her slightly, and gave her the confidence to proceed.

She plunged her hand into the volatile basin and pressed the switch. No plate ejected from the walls, no limbs were lost, and the door that Tzirkos was guarding unlocked. A faintly audible click reached Buffy and Lin's ears. Buffy pulled her hand out of the basin and kept it at her side.

"Well, that went unremarkably well," Buffy said as she followed him to the door, patting his shoulder with her still damp hand.

Sunnydale, CA:

The ring of the phone seemed shrill, a stark contrast to an entirely silent night at Giles' home. Giles picked up his receiver, suspecting he heard a similar click as he picked it up.

"He-hello." Giles asked in a half-asleep state.

"Giles!" A voice whispered at the other end.

"Faith? Is that you?" Giles asked, still unsure of the caller's identity.

"Yes, listen very carefully, I was jumped at the grand mausoleum by a little girl, earlier tonight."

"A little girl? Was she a vampire?" Giles sounded appalled at the very notion.

"No, she faked me out. It was a witch or something in disguise. Anyway, I came to in this dungeon, but she wasn't all careful or nothing, cause I still have all my stuff, and I've been here a couple of hours now and she hasn't checked on me. I guess she's busy or something."

"Are there any windows, any noises that you can describe clearly Faith?"

"Uh, yeah, there's bars on the windows, and I'm definitely above ground. I can hear water rushing, but I'm not near the ocean. The water and the air has no discernable smell to it, it's neither fresh nor stale, constantly moving. The lights flicker sometimes when the water slows."

"The dam," Giles thought aloud. He heard that same clicking noise he'd heard earlier, shortly followed by a door opening. He rushed downstairs to see his front door wide open. He called once for Kendra, but knew there'd be no answer. He called Willow before grabbing his coat and slamming the door behind him.

LA:

The effect of Buffy's touch was instantly visible on Linpuy's calloused shoulder. He shrieked in pain as his skin bubbled. The alcohol residue burned a hole through his shoulder blade and into his chest. A hand-shaped hole illustrated his torment as he turned and glared disdainfully at Buffy.

She backed away in horror, not of the gory scene in front of her but of her own mistrusting actions.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she murmured to Linpuy.

"That's all well and good Slayer, but this hole doesn't seem to be disappearing now, does it?" He spat back at her.

She ran back to the basin and hid behind the alcohol filled tub.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't trust you, you knew too much about the whole situation, I had to make sure." She babbled, trying to explain her actions in what came out as one shrill unintelligible slur. Linpuy seemed to understand well enough. Tzirkos took his position in front of Linpuy and addressed the slayer.

"And I guess you decided to use my right-hand man as litmus paper. Did your little experiment work, bitch? We explained very clearly that we lost men, good men, trying to pass these tests. If we wanted to kill you, we would've done it by now."

Tzirkos examined Lin's wounds. He cut a rough slit on his own forearm, and wiped some of the translucent blood on his finger. He went to approach Linpuy, who shied away from the unconventional treatment that was about to take place.

"It stings, boss," Linpuy winced. "Can't you just use her blood?" He pleaded, motioning to Buffy. "It's more potent anyway," he explained.

Tzirkos turned to Buffy."It would be just, you wouldn't lose a limb or have a gaping hole in your torso, but I think Linpuy would accept it as a very gracious apology."

Buffy stopped him at this point, knowing full well how inappropriate it would be now for him to drop to his knees again. "Of course I'll he- help," she choked out, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

Tzirkos approached Buffy slowly, rubbing his index finger along Buffy's still open arm wound.

"Here friend, this shouldn't sting." He said to Lin in a soothing tone. Lin was fighting tears at this point, grasping onto the last iota of pride he still owned.

As Tzirkos massaged the warm slayer blood into Lin's open wound, the healing effects were miraculously instant. Flesh, sinew, muscle and bone reformed in front of their very eyes. Once he was complete again, he shot the Slayer a furtive glance before reconsidering and smiling gratefully as a single tear rolled and burnt to ash on his cheek.

Lin turned to Tzirkos."I believe I myself now have what it takes to defeat the witches myself. The slayers blood has enhanced my senses and given me new strength. It is not much more than I already had, but it may very well be enough."

Buffy interceded, "We'll see who bags the most wicked Wicca in a sec, but first I have to rub some of that toxic stuff into this wound. It should sterilize it for now, and I should be fine to continue," she concluded.

"Very well, we will ascend the stairs and assess the door." Tzirkos replied, gesturing for Linpuy to proceed first.

Buffy dipped a finger in the solution and rubbed the makeshift salve into her open cut. She fashioned a new bandage from an offcut of her denim shorts and rushed over to Tzirkos and Linpuy.

"OK, on three we barge the door and emaciate some mages." Buffy quipped harshly.

"One, two, three…"

Sunnydale, CA

The din from the rushing water made it hard for Giles to concentrate. Willow wasn't here yet and he wasn't entirely sure that she would be able to wake up Xander either. Xander wouldn't contribute too much, but Giles believed in the whole 'strength in numbers' mantra. He occupied himself calling out futilely for Kendra, who hadn't made an appearance as yet. Frustration had made Giles violently bad-tempered by the time Oz and Willow were within sight.

"It's about bloody time, you two. Where the hell is Xander?" Giles spat in a Ripper-like manner.

"Um, Xander wouldn't wake up, freaky man whom resembles our mild mannered librarian. Hey, speaking of him, where'd he go?" Willow asked timidly.

"Not where, when. I thought I stressed that time is of the essence. My patience wore unnaturally thin 15 minutes after I arrived here. Having to wait another half an hour made me decidedly grumpy. Have either of you caught wind of Kendra?" Giles asked, slowly getting calmer and more like the Minister of Tweed by the second.

Oz shook his head. "I tried to track her, her scent led us to the motel Faith's staying at, which I do not recommend by the way." He stopped there, feeling further explanation would seem exhaustive. Willow picked it up from there.

"From the motel, we tracked her back here, hence the delay, opposite ends of town and the like." Willow explained smugly.

"Very well," a more subdued Giles replied. "I suggest we focus our energies on entering this facility and re-ascertaining our lost slayer."

They searched the grounds thoroughly and agreed on a point of entry towards the rear. Oz popped a vent and Willow crawled in first. Oz started to follow, before recoiling and taking in a deep breath.

"I know that smell." He said wistfully. The realization hit him and he reached for Willow just as the southside of the dam exploded sending a rain of fire and debris through the offices, the grounds and the vents.

A/N: Dun dun dun. Honk if you like cliffhangers! Thanks for reading, please review if you have any comments or questions.


	7. Rewards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a bit of resolve. And an adequate lead in to the final chapter of this piece.

Chapter 7 –Rewards

*BOOM* The door thundered open, Buffy, Tzirk and Lin making an entrance through the settling dust.

The room was dimly lit, and smelled strongly of sandalwood and copper. Five witches cloaked in heavy shrouds held pivotal points in the room. All of them were chanting in Latin, their palms out facing upwards. Buffy could vaguely make out the closest one and noticed that blood was dripping slowly but steadily from both of her hands.

"I'm guessing you guys don't make with the nice mojo here. Conjuring bunnies from hats, restoring souls, that kind of thing. OK, I'll deal."

The nearest witch turned to address her. "We never wanted you, who are you to fight our war?"

Buffy turned to Lin, a smirk on her face. "Who am I, Linpuy? Why do I fight your war? She kinda has a point, maybe I should bail." She teased, ending her sentence with a sly wink. Lin blushed profusely before composing himself and striding forward past Buffy.

"We have brought a strong warrior who has passed your sadistic tests of sacrifice. She strengthens our clan merely with her presence, but also with her blood." He raised his right arm in a fist.

"You speak of sacrifice, but it has no merit, you pathetic fool. You have gained nothing from your endeavours. We have always controlled this war, we have won it thoroughly, time and time again. We keep you in our grasp as your efforts amuse us. We could end you like that." She finished her monologue with a snap of her fingers. She instantly collapsed and didn't return to her feet.

"Wow, that's a neat trick," Buffy quipped. "Can you all do that, or was she special?"

At that, a shorter frail witch turned to reply to Buffy's taunts.

"She has sacrificed her flesh to strengthen our lifeforce. This is how we grow in strength, not with glamours and false strength forged on the back of weak white magic. We are infinite and we are not afraid of you." She said this last sentence slowly, punctuating each word with almost regal annunciation.

"You should be. I have sacrificed my whole world. I do so, willingly, over and over again, and though it may not end, it doesn't make my efforts useless. Cause in the end I have everything to show for it."

The small witch looked Buffy over before replying. "You have… everything? You live in your own personal hell. Your refusal to care has created a pit of self-loathing that you teeter over dangerously on a daily basis. Your friends in Sunnydale may even be dead, and you're wallowing away the hours in Sally's budget diner. Why the hell are you even here, you maggot." She shrieked. Before having a chance to continue her barrage, Buffy took the opportunity to talk over her.

"You do not talk to me like that, you pathetic cronie. Yes, I left my family, my friends. I thought they'd be better off if they carried no association to me. Being the slayer has cost me my true love; and my best friends." A single tear rolled jaggedly down her face as she remembered Kendra once again. "But shutting the world off and treating the ones you love with apathy makes you miserable, angry, hurt and most importantly, weak. It doesn't work. You shut away the world and it can crash on you when you least expect it. I know that now. My passion for life has replaced my frustration. I will protect and help those who deserve it." She smiled at Lin and Tzirk. "And I will share my power to no end." She paused to glare at the elder witch. "But then, there's you. You share your power by sacrificing your sisters for the cause. How many have you sacrificed? Is it worth it when I do this?" With that, she cartwheeled to one of the sisters who was still chanting, albeit rather distractedly, and elbowed her in the face.

The witch fell in a heap, instantly clutching her hands to her pummeled face. "She has attacked. Heal me sisters!" She demanded.

"Shut up, Dominique, when we're done we'll get you some ice." The older witch said to her fallen sister. She turned back to Buffy. "Listen, you self righteous whore, you want a fight, you've got one. But it's you against us, no demons allowed."

With a flick of her wrist, Tzirkos and Linpuy were forcefully expelled from the room, crashing hard against the door they originally entered. With a second twist, the door that had been bashed in repaired itself and magically hoisted itself back into the doorframe. She then made karate chop notions in quick succession, the result of which was a series of bolts and studs locking the door in place. It clearly wasn't going to be opened anytime soon.

The elder witch made a backhanded strike motion in Buffy's direction, at which Buffy careened across the room, crashing into the still-floored Dominique who winced in pain upon contact.

"Do you think you could mess this bitch up without getting me injured?" Dominique complained.

"Stop your whining, little girl, or I will have her stop you the hard way." At this, Buffy felt her right foot lift itself involuntarily and position itself over her neck.

Buffy tried moving her foot to no avail. It was firmly stuck in place. Instead, she twisted on the spot, and brought her other leg up into the air, the momentum reefing her foot from the witch's magical grasp.

"Haha, freewill 1, ugly old witch 0." Buffy noted aloud. That wasn't the only thing to be noted though. The other witches, excluding Dominique, had stopped chanting and were approaching the elder in the center of the room.

One witch seemed to be arguing with her in a foreign tongue while another was throwing what seemed to be a combination of herbs and powders over the elder as she drew nearer. The elder struggled against invisible bonds and within seconds was screaming in agony as her body was engulfed in flames.

After the elder was reduced to ash, the witch who had been arguing with her withdrew her cloak and approached Buffy slowly.

"Hello, Slayer. My name is Augustine and I am now the leader of this coven. My predecessor clutched to horribly primitive, vicious customs and prejudices. Prejudices we now vow to expel from our society."

Buffy's eyes grew wide in realization. "You mean, no more war? Yay Tzirk and Lin."

"I also noticed you when you defeated Xantie a short time ago," Augustine continued. "I could tell what was troubling you and knew it would impair your duties. Your strength does not come from the blackness of the Slayer's heart, as it has in the past. It comes from your ability to love and the sacrifices that you endure in this cause. The Powers That Be approached me shortly after your arrival in LA and revealed your destiny."

Buffy shot a skeptic glance at Augustine. "The Powers That Be are who, exactly?"

"Exactly what I said, nothing more, nothing less." Augustine replied.

"So, you don't really know either," Buffy said smugly.

Augustine blushed in embarrassment. "I am sure that one day, they will reveal my destiny. Until then, I will carry out their wishes, as is the coven's duty. More to the point, your sacrifice will now be rewarded. In Sunnydale, we were able to revive a lost comrade with the help of some local witches. Please return there, and claim your sacred birthright. You are greatly missed and… your friends may be in grave danger." She concluded.

"Danger, what danger? Augustine?" Buffy's eyes grew frantic as she watched Augustine and the remaining members of the coven disappear into thin air.

In their place, a huddled naked figure appeared. His masculine form was coated in glistening sweat, it was a cold sweat though, as he shivered uncontrollably on the floor.

Buffy slowly approached the figure, before whispering in hope and fear, "Angel?"

A/N: No cliffhangers for a change! Naked Angel instead. Please review if you have any thoughts etc. I'd love to know. Also, check in on the next chapter, where we find out the fate of the Scooby's back in Sunnydale.


	8. Re-becoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chap

"Angel?" Buffy said again, slightly stronger this time, more focused. "Angel, we have to go, NOW!" Buffy commanded before picking up his cold tense body and running through the doors to safety.

Halfway towards the entrance to the bar, Angel's eyes opened slowly and he saw the shining goddess above him. He hesitantly reached a hand to her face, and once he was satisfied that it was indeed her and not another torturous hallucination from Hell, he offered a small joyous smile before saying hello in a pained manner.

They reached the entrance and Angel motioned to be put on his feet. Tzirkos watched in wonder of the Slayer and her champion, two extremes in this situation.

Angel stood up straight, his strength renewed by the presence of his angel. He looked to the sky, somehow sensing that dawn was approaching. He looked again at Buffy, her face, her feminine form, her eyes and was overwhelmed with emotion. He wanted to cry but felt it wouldn't do the moment justice. He was reunited with the person who defined his existence. He ran his hands over her features and through her hair. Buffy, on the other hand, felt perfectly content to weep in his presence. These were tears of pride, of joy and of love. Once he ran his hands through her sweat-soaked hair she instinctively leaned into his body and tilted her face upwards for the kiss she had longed for, had needed for what seemed an eternity. Angel did not disappoint, meeting her hungry lips with his own and embracing her for a time which never seemed to end.

Linpuy shuffled awkwardly on the spot, before interrupting their moment. "Uh, Buffy… mysterious naked stranger guy, what the hell just happened in there?"

Buffy turned and approached him just as he wiped something from his eye. "Lin, the witches have ended their war with you. They have embraced a new dawn which brings peace for both of your tribes. Once they departed, they were replaced with the, uh, mysterious naked stranger guy you see before you." She explained in an awkwardly fitting way. "You think maybe, one of you could spare a…"

Tzrikos responded aptly, removing his cloak and shrouding it over the naked champion.

Lin stared at the ground, his words nothing more than a murmur. "He," he motioned his head towards Angel, "he is your true love? He holds your heart, slayer?"

"Yes, he is my love and my soul mate. Although, for a while there, you really gave him a run for his money."

Angel shot Buffy a hurt look, but understanding came to him and he entered the bar to give them some time.

"I thought when you hurt me, with your t-test, it was your sign of love," he paused, "your sign of affection."

"I don't understand Lin, you saw me being pretty affection-" Lin broke down then, cutting Buffy mercifully short on her descriptive rejection.

"I'm sorry Lin, I didn't mean to hurt you, either of you," she said as she made eye contact with Tzirkos.

"It's OK slayer, we Gragoth demons take time to heal from love's wounds as do all creatures I'm sure, even…vampires." Linpuy said, an air of finality securing his fate.

"I'm glad you understand Lin, I'll never forget you, you brought me out of my funk, you brought me back to life Linpuy. For that, I'll always love you." With that, Buffy tilted his face up by the chin and leant in for a soft heartfelt kiss. A kiss that was meant for her true champion, and was given, so appropriately today.

Angel chose the wrong time to emerge from the stairs.

"Uh, am I interrupting?" he asked awkwardly, breaking their embrace and ending their moment.

Buffy took a look at Linpuy, then at Tzirkos and then approached Angel in an urgent pace.

"We have to go back to Sunnydale. I believe the elder witch may have hurt someone, or possibly kidnapped someone. One of my friends." She said solemnly.

Angel nodded in agreement and hailed a cab, directing the driver to the bus station.

As they alighted, Linpuy remarked, "Well I guess a ride's out of the question then. Pfft, like I could fit in the two of them and his hair." This brought a snicker from the heartbroken demon and his sympathetic General.

"C'mon Linpuy, lets get us some espresso."

The two of them slowly got into their car and drove towards their favourite diner, knowing that their clan's future was now safe thanks to one special girl.

On the coach, Angel spent the trip in Buffy's arms. This was mostly due to keeping Angel from sunlight in any possible facet, but also about spending time embracing now and answering tough questions later. The trip was mercilessly short, as they didn't want to lose this feeling, this feeling of security, of warmth, of belonging. The second they left the bus, reality would hit Buffy hard and she would be searching for her friends, saving the world again, and confronting everything she feared. No, she couldn't leave the bus, it was safe, it was home, for now at least. Angel looked at her expectantly, and shortly after reading her expression, he rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Buffy, because you decided to stop drowning your emotions you were able to rise again and bring me back from Hell. For that, I thank you dearly, my love. Your friends are waiting. I'm sure they miss you, and I know that they need you now, more than they ever have. I guess it comes down to a choice. You can either stay on this bus, and exist. Or you can get off the bus with me now, and live."

The scream hit Oz like a dentist's drill on molars. Oz scrambled headlong into the vents that the noise came from and searched for Willow. His acute sense of sight didn't help matters at all but what he lacked he made up for in smell. He tilted his head and searched for her scent. It was something akin to peanut butter and jelly. He didn't have much to go by and scrambled aimlessly before coming to a fork. His senses drove him south and he slid through the vents furiously, calling Willow's name and hearing nothing from her in return. He could still hear the entrance vaguely and was distracted by a high pitched screaming as well as a new voice and familiar scent.

He thought twice about turning back but decided to continue on instead. His scrambling brought him closer and closer to the scent he longed for and almost led him to his death as his scrambling brought him to a gaping hole in the vents.

His arms and torso hung loosely over the edge as he found the source of his desire. Willow's cardigan was hanging to the edge with him, suspended by a loose thread that had clung to the edge as his love slipped out of it, to the rushing rapids below.

He swore to himself softly and screamed out Willow's name, hoping to hear anything other than the churn of wild water as it escaped from the site of the blast.

As Oz watched the rapid water level lower each second, he felt the pangs of despair and loss hit him. He decided that now was the time to take action and prepared for a desperate leap into the rapids below.

He dived through the opening and felt his top half swim in elation as the vertigo mixed with his unease. All of a sudden he felt a jerk and realized that his foot was caught on something. He mustered all of the upper body strength he could forge in an attempt to see what was holding him and rose to see Faith's face smiling.

"I don't think that's a good puddle to splash in, sexy puppy." She remarked, a smirk broadening her features.

Her grip loosened as Willow smacked her upside the head.

"I don't care what you are, Faith, this doggy's not for sale." She replied.

Oz beckoned Faith to pull her up, but she was distracted by Willow's retort.

"You got beef Red? Maybe he should go for a dip."

Her hold faltered and for a second, Oz thought she would drop him. Instead, Faith also found herself being pulled into the gap before Willow's hands grabbed her ankles.

Willow strained under the weight of both Faith and Oz. She searched for something to hook her legs into but couldn't find anything. Slowly, Oz and Faith lowered towards the rushing rapids as Willow progressed towards the edge.

Willow's ankles continued to search frantically for a grip and eventually she felt someone take hold. She turned to see Buffy pull her back into the vents with almost no exertion.

"Now, I like a good game of Barrel O' Monkeys, but you guys are taking this way too far," Buffy quipped, as she pulled Willow, then Faith, and finally Oz back into the vents.

Minutes later, they emerged from the entrance to a very worried Giles, Xander and Angel.

Willow had to look twice as she couldn't believe he was really here.

"Quick, everyone, get down, I'm about to open a can of sunshine on Angelus' ass." Willow spouted, quite proud of her quipping ability and Faith-induced rage.

"Willow, No! Stop! He's Angel again. Your spell worked. I just never got a chance to tell you." She said, ending on a solemn note.

"Well of course not, Buff. For all we knew the spell didn't work and Angelus took both of you into that Acathla statue." Xander retorted bitterly, eyeballing Angel.

"Hang on Xander, I thought the spell…didn't work. I distinctly remember you giving me a message from Willow while I was on my way to the mansion. How did it go again? Oh yeah, that's right, kick his ass?!" Buffy replied.

Willow's eyes narrowed defensively. "I never said that, Xander."

Xander recoiled, his face painting a picture of shame and none of the justification it originally portrayed.

"All of this aside, Buffy is safe and back here in Sunnydale. I for one have missed her dearly." Giles said, approaching Buffy slowly and taking her in a comfortable embrace. He continued, "Angel has been successfully ensouled and brought back from the Hell dimension he was banished to when merging with Acathla. Everyone is safe and I am bloody tired, so I think we should all just calm down and take this up in the morning."

Buffy nodded in agreement and turned to her friends. "I missed you guys a lot, hopefully we can pick up where we left off, I don't want it to be weird." She shook her head to herself and waited for a response.

Willow looked pained still, yet hopeful. Xander had his hand covering his stretched mouth. Faith was twirling a stake in her hands and Oz was standing there, being Oz. He only seemed to care about attending to Willow, making sure she was OK.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you. I'm sorry that I didn't call and I shut you out last year. To tell you the truth, I'd shut you out since…well, since we lost Kendra to the Judge."

"I don't tink we need to delve into backstory Buffy," a familiar voice said from behind Buffy's back.

Buffy turned and looked at the blank space. Her brow furrowed as she contemplated her sanity.

"Um, guys, did everyone else here that, or is Kendra a vampire here too?" Buffy asked her friends.

"I am indeed hee-yah. Da witches dat brought back Angel also returned my life." Kendra explained.

Buffy turned on the spot again, and watched with wide eyes as a mystical shimmer reanimated her lost friend.

"Kendra, is it really you?" Buffy asked incredulously.

Kendra didn't answer but took Buffy in a tight embrace, fresh tears rolling down both Buffy's and Kendra's cheeks.

"I never want to lose another friend, but I never want to lose myself again either." Buffy said to her friends.

Their smiles came, warm on their beaming faces. Willow ran and embraced Buffy, Xander ambling in at a slower pace. To Buffy's surprise, everyone was in tears, except Faith and Oz, which seemed fitting to her.

Finally, I'm home. Finally, I've become.


End file.
